Sun Wukong and his two fellow disciples, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, were chatting with Tang Sanzang in the hall. Tang Sanzang asked them, "How did you all get here? The meal is almost ready." But unexpectedly, he continued, "It's not about the meal, it's about those ginseng fruits. Who among you stole and ate those fruits that look like little children?"
Zhu Bajie quickly defended himself, "I'm honest, I haven't seen or eaten them." The nearby Qingfeng Taoist pointed at Bajie, "It's him! He's the one laughing!" Wukong wasn't pleased, "I was born loving to laugh, why can't I laugh? You lose the fruits and blame me?"
At this point, Tang Sanzang advised, "Disciples, don't get angry. We are monks and should speak the truth, not eat with a guilty conscience. If you really ate them, just admit it and apologize, why deny it?" Wukong thought his master made sense and admitted, "Master, it's not my fault. Bajie heard the Taoist children talk about how good the ginseng fruits were, so he asked me to pick three. Each of us brothers ate one. Now that things are like this, what do you suggest we do?"
Mingyue Taoist chimed in, "You stole four of our fruits and still won't admit you're thieves!" Bajie quickly argued, "Amitabha! If we stole four, why only take out three to share? Was someone favored with the extra one?" Bajie was intentionally stirring things up.
The Taoist children got angrier the more they listened and scolded even more fiercely. Wukong was also annoyed and thought, "These Taoist kids are really hateful! Might as well teach them a lesson so they can't eat the fruits anymore." So, he plucked a hair, blew some magic breath, and created a fake Wukong to stay with Tang Sanzang, while he himself flew to the ginseng fruit orchard.
Wukong reached the orchard, swung his golden staff, and struck the tree, then used his immense strength to push the whole tree down. Poor tree, its leaves and branches fell, roots were pulled out, not a single fruit was left. Wukong thought, "Good! Now no one can eat them." He put away his iron staff, shook off the hairs, and returned to his spot. The Taoist children, being mere mortals, couldn't see through his magic.
After the Taoist children were tired of scolding, Qingfeng said to Mingyue, "These monks are really patient. We've scolded them for so long, and they didn't say a word. Seems like they really didn't steal. Why don't we go check the orchard again?" Mingyue nodded, "Makes sense." They went to the orchard and saw the tree was down and the fruits were gone. Qingfeng was so scared he fell to the ground, and Mingyue felt weak all over, their spirits nearly leaving them.
The two were at a loss, mumbling to themselves, "What do we do? What do we do? The treasure of Wuzhuang Temple is gone. How will we explain to the master when he returns?" Mingyue thought for a moment and said, "Brother, don't panic. Let's act like nothing happened and not alarm the monks. It's definitely that hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed guy's doing. Since we can't beat them, let's trick them, say the fruits aren't missing, we just counted wrong. When they eat, we'll lock the door and wait for the master to handle it."
Qingfeng agreed, so they mustered up some courage and pretended to be cheerful as they returned to the hall, saying to Tang Sanzang, "Master, we were rude earlier, please don't take offense." Tang Sanzang asked, "What's going on?" Qingfeng replied, "The fruits aren't missing; the tree is tall and leafy, and we didn't see clearly. We checked again, and the count is the same."
Zhu Bajie seized the opportunity and said, "You two young Taoists, being inexperienced, just scold people without reason, falsely accusing us!" Wukong knew what was going on but said nothing, thinking, "This must be a lie. The fruits are gone, yet they say this. They must have a way to bring them back to life."
Tang Sanzang said, "If that's the case, then serve the meal, and we'll leave after eating." Zhu Bajie went to serve the meal, and Sha Wujing set up the tables and chairs. The two Taoists busied themselves with serving side dishes, all sorts of pickled and sauced items, setting up seven or eight plates, and served the master and disciples with a pot of good tea. Just as the four of them picked up their bowls, the Taoists slammed the doors shut and locked them with a brass lock.
Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "The customs here are really strange; they even lock the doors when eating." Mingyue replied from outside, "Exactly, exactly, we'll open the doors after you finish eating." Qingfeng shouted from outside, "You bald thieves with sticky fingers! You stole our celestial fruits and even knocked over our celestial tree, ruining the foundation of Wuzhuang Temple, yet you still dare to talk back! If you ever reach the Western Heaven to see the Buddha, it'll only be in your next life!"
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt heavy-hearted and put down his bowl. The Taoist children locked the front gate and the second gate, then came to the main hall's entrance and continued scolding until evening, only stopping to eat dinner before retiring to their rooms.
Tang Sanzang, a bit upset, said to Sun Wukong, "You monkey, always causing trouble! You stole their fruit; it's one thing to endure their scolding, but why did you have to knock down their tree? If they file a complaint, even if your father were an official, he couldn't save you." Wukong, grinning, said, "Master, don't worry. Those two Taoist kids are asleep. Once they're in a deep sleep, we'll slip away tonight." Sha Wujing expressed concern, "Brother, all these gates are locked tight, how will we leave?" Wukong, full of confidence, replied, "Don't worry, I have a way."
Bajie interjected, "I'm afraid you might not have a way! You might turn into a little bug and fly out, but we who can't transform would be left here to suffer." Tang Sanzang joked, "If he really runs away like that, I'll recite the Tightening Spell and see what he does!" Bajie, caught between laughter and tears, said, "Master, I've heard of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra and the Lotus Sūtra, but never of any Tightening Spell."
Wukong explained, "Brother, you don't know. This band on my head was given to Master by Guanyin Bodhisattva. When he recites the Tightening Spell, it makes my head ache. But don't worry, Master, I won't leave you all behind; I'll make sure we all get out together." As he spoke, the sky darkened and the moon rose. Wukong said, "Now's the time, let's go." Bajie was still skeptical, "Brother, the doors are locked, how do we leave?" Wukong laughed, "Watch me!"
Wukong took out his golden staff and used his unlocking magic, and with a "click," all the locks opened. Bajie exclaimed, "That's some skill! Better than a locksmith!" Wukong, proud, said, "These doors are nothing; I could open the Southern Heavenly Gate too!" So they led Tang Sanzang out, Bajie carrying the load, and Sha Wujing leading the horse, continuing westward.
After walking for a while, Wukong said, "You all go on ahead; I'll make sure those two Taoist kids have a good sleep." Tang Sanzang quickly reminded, "Disciple, don't harm their lives." Wukong assured, "Don't worry, I know." Wukong returned to the Taoists' room, took out two Sleep Bugs from his waist, and quietly flicked them inside. The two Taoists fell into a deep sleep, unable to wake. Only then did Wukong catch up with Tang Sanzang, and they continued westward.
That night, they traveled nonstop until dawn. Tang Sanzang complained a bit, "This monkey is really something, making me go without sleep all night." Wukong advised, "Don't complain, it's daylight now. Let's rest by the roadside and regain our energy before moving on." Tang Sanzang dismounted, leaned against a tree to sit, while Sha Wujing and Bajie found places to rest. Wukong, in high spirits, played around by jumping from tree to tree.
Meanwhile, the Great Immortal returned to Wuzhuang Temple with his little immortals after a meeting at Yuanshi Palace. Seeing the temple gates wide open and the ground clean, he was quite pleased, "Qingfeng and Mingyue got up early today, opening the doors and sweeping the grounds." The little immortals were also happy. But upon reaching the hall, they found no one and no incense burning. The immortals speculated, "Could it be that the two Taoists ran off with things while we were away?"
The Great Immortal didn't believe it, "Impossible, they are cultivators, they wouldn't do such a thing. Maybe they forgot to close the doors last night and haven't woken up yet." So they went to the Taoists' room, and sure enough, the door was closed, and snoring was thunderous inside. No matter how they called, there was no response, so they had to pry open the door and pull them from their beds, but still got no reaction.
The Great Immortal laughed, "These little fellows, how can people on the path to immortality sleep so soundly? Could someone have played a trick on them?" So he had someone fetch half a bowl of water, recited a spell, and sprayed it on their faces. Only then did the two Taoists wake up.
Qingfeng and Mingyue, upon seeing their master and the celestial friends, hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Master, the monk from the Eastern Land is a bandit, very fierce!" The Great Immortal smiled and comforted them, "Don't panic, speak slowly." Qingfeng explained, "Master, shortly after you left, a monk from the Eastern Land named Tang Sanzang arrived with three disciples and a horse. Following your instructions, we offered them two fruits. But that Tang Sanzang didn't recognize their value and said they looked like little children, so we ate them ourselves."
"Unexpectedly, one of his disciples named Sun Wukong first stole four of our fruits to eat. When we confronted him, not only did he deny it, but he also used magic to cause trouble." At this point, the two Taoist children couldn't help but shed tears. The celestial friends asked, "Did the monk hit you?" Mingyue replied, "No, but he knocked down our ginseng tree." Hearing this, the Great Immortal was not angry; instead, he said, "Don't cry, don't cry. You don't know, that Sun Wukong is quite a formidable character; he once caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace."
The Great Immortal asked Qingfeng, "Can you recognize those monks?" Qingfeng replied, "I can recognize them all." The Great Immortal said, "Good, come with me. Disciples, prepare the instruments of punishment; I'll handle them when I return." The celestial friends obeyed, and the Great Immortal, taking Qingfeng and Mingyue, rode the clouds to pursue Tang Sanzang.
In no time, the Great Immortal had flown thousands of miles. Looking west from the clouds, he couldn't see Tang Sanzang; turning east, he realized he had flown over nine hundred miles. It turned out Tang Sanzang and his companions had only traveled 120 miles overnight, while the Great Immortal had soared over 900 miles in a single leap. The celestial child said, "Master, under that tree is where Tang Sanzang is sitting." The Great Immortal said, "I see them. You return first to prepare the ropes, and I'll capture them." Qingfeng returned ahead.
The Great Immortal descended from the clouds, transforming into a wandering Taoist. What did he look like? He wore a patched robe, tied with a Lü Gong belt, shook a duster in his hand, and lightly tapped a wooden fish drum. He wore straw sandals, a nine-sun turban, and his sleeves fluttered in the wind as he hummed "The Moon is High." He walked straight to the tree and loudly greeted Tang Sanzang, "Elder, I'm here to greet you." Tang Sanzang quickly returned the courtesy, "Pardon my rudeness!" The Great Immortal asked, "Elder, where are you coming from, and why are you meditating by the roadside?" Tang Sanzang replied, "I am a monk sent from the Eastern Tang Dynasty to fetch scriptures in the Western Heaven. We are just resting here for a bit."
Feigning surprise, the Great Immortal asked, "Elder, coming from the east, did you pass through any barren mountains?" Tang Sanzang was puzzled, "Where is the celestial palace located?" The Great Immortal said, "Wuzhuang Temple on Mount Wanshou is where I reside." Wukong, hearing this, understood the situation and quickly said, "We haven't been there! We came along the main road." The Great Immortal pointed at him and laughed, "You mischievous monkey, who are you trying to fool? You knocked down my ginseng tree in my temple and now want to deny it? Return my tree at once!"
Hearing this, Wukong became furious, grabbed his iron staff, and attacked. The Great Immortal dodged and soared into the air. Wukong, not one to back down, pursued him. In mid-air, the Great Immortal revealed his true form, wearing a purple-gold crown, a worry-free crane cloak, shoes on his feet, and a silk belt around his waist. He appeared youthful, with a face as fair as a beauty's, and three strands of beard on his chin, with raven-black hair at his temples. The Great Immortal held no weapon, only a jade duster, while Wukong swung his staff wildly. The Great Immortal blocked left and right, and after a few rounds, used his magical sleeve, capturing the four monks and their horse in one sweep.
Bajie exclaimed, "Oh no! We've been bagged!" Wukong corrected, "Fool, it's not a bag; we've been caught in his sleeve." Bajie didn't care, "No problem, I'll poke a hole with my rake to get out." But when he tried, he found the soft sleeve was harder than iron.
The Great Immortal rode the clouds back to Wuzhuang Temple and ordered his disciples to bring ropes. The little immortals were all in attendance. The Great Immortal, as if pulling dolls from his sleeve, took out Tang Sanzang and tied him to a pillar, then tied the three disciples to pillars as well, tethering the horse in the yard and throwing their luggage in the corridor. The Great Immortal instructed, "These monks are ascetics; don't use blades or spears. Bring me a whip to vent my anger!" The little immortals brought a seven-star whip made of dragon skin, ready to lash Tang Sanzang.
Wukong thought, "My old master can't withstand a beating; if he's hurt, it'll be my fault." So he spoke up, "Sir, there's a mistake. I was the one who stole and ate the fruits and knocked down the tree. Why not punish me first?" The Great Immortal laughed, "This mischievous monkey is quite responsible. Then let's start with him." The little immortals asked, "How many lashes?" The Great Immortal said, "Thirty, according to the number of fruits." The little immortals swung the whip, but Wukong, fearing the celestial magic, quickly turned his legs to iron, feeling no pain regardless of how hard they hit.
After thirty lashes, it was nearing noon. The Great Immortal said, "Tang Sanzang should also be punished for not disciplining his disciples." Wukong quickly interjected, "Sir, another mistake. My master didn't know about the fruit theft; he was chatting with your Taoist children in the hall. It was my brothers who did it. Even if there's a lack of discipline, as a disciple, I should take the punishment for him. Hit me again." The Great Immortal laughed, "This mischievous monkey, though cunning, is quite filial. Then hit him again." The little immortals gave another thirty lashes, but Wukong's iron legs shone brightly, feeling no pain at all.
As the evening approached, the Great Immortal said, "Soak the whip in water and we'll continue the punishment tomorrow." The little immortals put away the whip and each returned to their rooms to rest. Tang Sanzang, with tears in his eyes, complained to his three disciples, "You've caused trouble and now I'm suffering for it. What should we do?" Wukong consoled him, "Don't complain. They beat me, not you. Don't cry out in pain." Tang Sanzang replied, "Though I wasn't beaten, being tied up is uncomfortable." Sha Seng added, "Master, we're tied up with you too." Wukong said, "Don't worry, we'll leave soon." Bajie was skeptical, "Brother, you're boasting again. These hemp ropes are soaked and tied tightly. How will we escape?"
Wukong said, "Don't underestimate me. Even if these ropes were as thick as a ship's cable, they couldn't hold me." When the night grew quiet, Wukong shrank his body, slipped out of the ropes, and said, "Master, let's go!" Sha Seng urgently said, "Brother, save us too!" Wukong replied, "Don't make noise!" He then untied Tang Sanzang, released Bajie and Sha Seng, gathered their belongings, and led the horse out of the temple gate.
Wukong instructed Bajie, "Go to the cliff and cut down four willow trees." Bajie asked, "What for?" Wukong said, "You'll see, just hurry!" Bajie, with his great strength, uprooted four trees and brought them back. Wukong broke off the branches, tied them to the pillars, recited an incantation, bit his tongue to draw blood, and transformed them into the likenesses of Tang Sanzang, himself, Sha Seng, and Bajie, even mimicking their voices. Then they caught up with Tang Sanzang, traveling through the night to put distance between themselves and Wuzhuang Temple.
By dawn, Tang Sanzang was dozing on horseback. Wukong said, "Master, you can't keep this up. How can a monk endure such hardship? I can go without sleep for a thousand nights and not feel tired. Get off the horse and rest so people won't laugh at us."
While Tang Sanzang and his disciples rested by the roadside, let's turn our attention back to the Great Immortal. At dawn, he rose, had breakfast, and went to the main hall, ordering the whip to be brought, "Today, we shall punish Tang Sanzang." The little immortals brandished the whip and called out to Tang Sanzang, "We're going to beat you!" The willow tree, transformed by Wukong's magic, responded, "Go ahead." So they struck it thirty times with a crackling sound.
Next, the little immortals turned to Bajie, saying, "It's your turn!" The willow tree again responded, "Go ahead." When it was Sha Seng's turn, the willow tree also said, "Go ahead." But when it came to Wukong, he suddenly shivered on the road and said, "Something's wrong!" Tang Sanzang asked, "What's the matter?" Wukong explained, "I turned four willow trees into our likenesses. I thought after beating me twice yesterday, they wouldn't beat me again today. But they've hit my doppelgänger, which made my real body shiver. I must quickly undo the spell." Wukong hurriedly recited an incantation to withdraw the magic.
The Taoist children were terrified, dropped the whip, and reported, "Master, we've been beating willow trees!" The Great Immortal, hearing this, sneered, "Sun Wukong, truly a clever Monkey King! I've heard he caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and indeed, his reputation is well-deserved. It's one thing to escape, but to leave willow trees as substitutes? I cannot forgive this. Go after them quickly!" With that, the Great Immortal rode the clouds, looked west, and saw Tang Sanzang and his companions on the road. The Great Immortal descended and shouted, "Sun Wukong! Where do you think you're going? Return my ginseng tree!"
Hearing this, Bajie exclaimed, "Oh no! Here comes trouble again!" Wukong said, "Master, set aside your kindness for now. Let us use some fierce tactics to deal with him and make our escape." Tang Sanzang, frightened and trembling, didn't have time to respond before Sha Seng grabbed his treasure staff, Bajie picked up his rake, and Wukong wielded his iron staff. Together, they surrounded the Great Immortal in the air, attacking and smashing wildly. This fierce battle is captured in a poem: "Wukong knows not of Zhenyuan Daxian, a wondrous sage among men. Three divine weapons strike fiercely, while a single dust tail floats gently. Blocking left and right, advancing and retreating, turning at will. Night turns to day, yet escape is elusive; when will they reach the Western Heaven?"
The three disciples, each wielding their divine weapons, attacked together, while the Great Immortal defended himself with only a duster. In less than half an hour, the Great Immortal spread his robe sleeve, capturing the four monks, their horse, and luggage once again, and returned to Wuzhuang Temple on the clouds. The celestial friends welcomed him, and the Immortal seated himself in the hall, pulling them out one by one from his sleeve. Tang Sanzang was tied to a small locust tree at the foot of the steps, Bajie and Sha Seng to trees on either side. Wukong was bound, and he mused to himself, "It seems we're in for an interrogation." Soon, they were all tied up, and the Great Immortal ordered ten lengths of cloth to be brought. Wukong laughed, "Bajie, this gentleman is generous, bringing cloth to make us long-sleeved garments! Save some cloth and make a coffin instead." The little immortals brought the cloth, and the Great Immortal said, "Wrap Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Seng in the cloth!" The celestial friends stepped forward and wrapped them tightly. Wukong laughed, "Good! Good! Good! Like being buried alive!"
In no time, they were wrapped up, and the Great Immortal ordered lacquer to be brought. The celestial friends quickly brought some homemade raw and cooked lacquer, covering the three of them completely, leaving only their heads exposed. Bajie said, "Sir, it's fine on top, but leave a hole below for us to relieve ourselves." The Great Immortal then ordered a large cauldron to be brought out. Wukong laughed, "Bajie, we're in luck! They're bringing out a cauldron, probably to cook us a meal." Bajie said, "That's fine, at least we'll die on a full stomach." Indeed, the celestial friends brought out a large cauldron and placed it at the foot of the steps. The Great Immortal ordered dry wood to be set ablaze, saying, "Boil a pot of clear oil, and once it's boiling, fry Sun Wukong in it to avenge my ginseng tree!" Hearing this, Wukong was secretly pleased, thinking, "Just what I need. I haven't bathed in a while, and my skin is itchy. A good wash would be nice. Thank you for the hospitality." Soon, the oil was boiling.
Wukong was cautious, fearing the Great Immortal's powerful magic might make it difficult to act in the oil cauldron. He quickly looked around and saw a sundial platform to the east and a stone lion to the west. With a leap, he rolled over to the west, bit his tongue to draw blood, spat it onto the stone lion, and shouted, "Transform!" The lion changed into his likeness, bound up just as he had been, while Wukong's true spirit floated up to the clouds, watching the scene below.
At this moment, a little immortal reported, "Master, the oil is boiling." The Great Immortal commanded, "Throw Sun Wukong in!" Four celestial children couldn't lift him, nor could eight. Even with four more, they still couldn't move him. The immortals remarked, "This monkey clings to the earth, hard to move, small as he is, he's quite solid." Finally, it took twenty little immortals to hoist "Sun Wukong" and toss him into the cauldron. There was a loud splash, and the boiling oil scalded several little immortals' faces! The fire-tender cried out, "The cauldron's leaking! The cauldron's leaking!" It turned out the bottom had broken, and inside was a stone lion. The Great Immortal was furious, "This wretched monkey, how insolent! Playing tricks right in front of me! If he escaped, fine, but why destroy my stove? This wretched monkey, he's as elusive as catching shadows or wind. Enough! Enough! Enough! Let him go. Untie Tang Sanzang, get a new cauldron, and fry him to avenge my ginseng tree." The little immortals began to remove the cloth and lacquer. Wukong, hearing this from the sky, thought, "My master can't survive that. If he goes into the oil, he'll die in one roll, burn in two, and be nothing but mush in a few more! I must save him."
The clever Wukong descended from the clouds, stepped forward, and said, "Don't remove the cloth and lacquer, I'll go into the oil cauldron." The Great Immortal angrily cursed, "You monkey! How dare you destroy my stove with your tricks?" Wukong laughed, "It's your bad luck to meet me, not my problem. I wanted to try the oil bath, but I urgently needed to relieve myself and feared I'd foul your oil. Now that I'm relieved, I can enter the cauldron. Don't fry my master, fry me instead." The Great Immortal sneered and walked out of the hall, grabbing Wukong. As for how he escaped afterward, that will be revealed in the next installment.
